San Clemente ponders preserving or replacing view-blocking trees

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San Clemente residents Lois Law and Clare Kenney are two of several Presidential Heights homeowners at the south end of a condominium complex who hope the city will trim dozens of trees along the municipal golf course. The group says the trees block views of the ocean and hinder home values.

Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens, left, planted a wall of trees that have grown too tall and thick in the eyes of neighbors at Reefgate West, right, and are said to be impacting sewer lines. On the other hand, Councilman Tim Brown said he adores those trees.

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To visitors of Verde Park in San Clemente, a eucalyptus forest may be beautiful. To some neighbors on a hillside, the trees form a view-blocking wall, pose a fire danger and are a liability should heavy branches fall.

The entrance to San Clemente's Verde Park highlights a tree forest that may charm park users while some neighbors do not find the trees charming and want to remove them.

This is the view through Verde Park's eucalyptus trees of homes on an ocean-view hillside behind the trees.

While San Clemente's City Council was debating the merits of tree vs. view preservation this week, the Denney family were out trying to protect this jacaranda tree from being felled by the homeowners association. The homeowners association prevailed, despite Trevor and Nicole Denney's efforts Monday. They were at school Tuesday when the tree came down.

SAN CLEMENTE – Preserve and enhance the city’s urban forest? Or cut down city-owned trees that block homeowners’ views to replace them with something more compatible?

San Clemente residents voiced both viewpoints passionately Tuesday night, as the City Council considered a proposal that would let homeowners request removal of view-blocking city trees if the homeowner agrees to pay for removal and replacement. The plan would not apply to trees along major streets.

Mayor Bob Baker presented the proposal, likening it to a good-neighbor policy where one neighbor agrees to remove an offensive tree if the offended neighbor will pay to remove it and replace it with an agreed-upon alternative.

After hearing from 16 speakers, the council voted 5-0 to get more information from staff and try to air out the issue at a May 29 meeting with the city’s General Plan Advisory Committee and Planning Commission.

CHASM OF VIEWS

Half of Tuesday’s speakers asked the council for protection, preservation or restoration of homeowners’ views impacted by city trees. The other half asked for preservation of city tree resources or for extreme caution before embarking on a potentially divisive view policy.

City staff will research what other cities do. Sharon Heider, director of beaches, parks and recreation, said that not many cities tackle view preservation, as it’s hard to please everyone and it can be an arduous process. She cited Laguna Beach.

Various speakers told how city-owned trees – mainly eucalyptus – have swallowed up views, reduced home values, created fire hazards and are a liability threat if heavy branches fall. “A really good neighbor would not have planted a 120-foot tree to block my view and then make me pay to remove it,” resident Gregg Lipanovich said.

Others said the city should not cut down mature public trees enjoyed by many just to benefit a few. “We conceivably could lose most of our mature trees,” Georgette Korsen said. “The people’s trees,” Mike Cotter, who also writes a real estate column for the Register, called them.

CAUTION URGED

Members of the General Plan Advisory Committee said it is premature to set policy when a new San Clemente General Plan yet to be adopted suggests a new urban-forest policy. “Beware of unintended consequences,” Richard Boyer told the council.

COUNCIL’S TAKE

Councilwoman Lori Donchak said the city should respect the General Plan process and not try to craft a piecemeal policy.

Councilman Chris Hamm said different people have different perspectives, that the Ole Hanson Beach Club has beautiful trees that also block views.

Councilman Tim Brown said that just as there is reason to preserve heritage trees, there are trees that people can agree need to go.

Fred Swegles grew up in small-town San Clemente before the freeway. He has covered the town since 1970. Today he covers San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano. He was in the second graduating class at San Clemente High School, after having spent the first two years of high school in double sessions at historic Capistrano Union High School in San Juan. When the new high school opened, he became first sports editor of the school paper, The Triton. He studied journalism and Spanish at USC on scholarship, graduating with honors. Was sports editor of the Daily Trojan. Surfed on the USC surf team. (High school surfing didn't exist back then.) With the Sun Post, he began covering competitive surfing from the mid-1970s, with the birth of the the modern world tour and the origins of high school surf teams. He got into surf photography and into world travel. Has surfed on six continents (not Antarctica). Has visited 11 San Clementes. Has written photo-illustrated profiles on most of them, with more in the works.